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光杆司令

guāng gǎn sī lìngdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
commander without any soldiers / (fig.) leader without a team / solo entrepreneur
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-f38a1ee3e4d37a3a. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

光桿司令 光杆司令 [guang1 gan3 si1 ling4] /commander without any soldiers; (fig.) leader without a team; solo entrepreneur/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 光桿司令

  • 光
    guāng

    light / ray (CL:道[dào]) / bright / shiny / only / merely / used up / finished / to leave (a part of the body) uncovered

  • 杆
    gān

    (bound form) pole / shaft

    gǎn

    stick / pole / lever / classifier for long objects such as guns

  • 司
    sī

    to take charge of / to manage / department (under a ministry)

    Sī

    surname Si

  • 令
    líng

    used in 脊令[jí líng] / used in 令狐[Líng hú] (Taiwan pr. [lìng])

    lǐng

    classifier for a ream of paper

    lìng

    to order / to command / an order / warrant / writ / to cause / to make sth happen / virtuous / honorific title / season / government position (old) / type of short song or poem

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.